Getting Into The City
From the airport
Rotterdam The Hague Airport (known as RTM Airport) is one of Netherland’s busiest airports and it not only serves Rotterdam but also Hague and other ancillary regions. The Airport is strategically placed between the two cities; Rotterdam and Hague. British Airways operates regular flights from London-City airport here while Transavia operates daily direct flights from Barcelona, Vienna, Lisbon, Malaga and Tenerife South.
In season, Transavia provides nonstop connectivity to major European cities like Geneva, Heraklion (near Chania), Ibiza, Rome, Innsbruck, Palma de Mallorca, Kos, Lanzarote, Salzburg, Almeria, Chambery etc. to/from the Hague airport. Low-cost flight operators like Dutch Transavia and Vueling have made the Rotterdam Hague airport their base.
It’s a bit complicated to take the bus from the Hague Airport to Hague City. You need to board the local bus (line 33) and then get down at the Meijersplein Metro. From the metro station catch Line E (Randastrail) to Hague Central Rail station.
The bus journey will roughly take 7 minutes and the metro journey will take 25 minutes. Taking a 4 euro one hour ticket (allows the use of both bus and metro) is a good idea.
Another option is to take the Delft Bus from the public transport square next to the terminal. This will take you to the Hague Leyenburg via the Delft Central Station. Only one bus is available every half hour.
The bus and metro lines work actively from 5.48 a.m. onwards.
You will find taxis round the clock in front of the exit/ entrance of the airport. The trip from the airport to the city centre will take around 20 minutes depending on traffic flows. The standard fare is between 46 to 56 euros.
Dial +31 (0) 10-262 0406 to call a taxi, or book your airport taxi online through this website.
By Car
The A 13 will take you directly to the Hague City Centre from the airport if you follow it straight. The journey time is approximately half an hour. If you wish to get into Rotterdam then you need to take the S112 and N471… the journey time is 12 minutes.
There are many parking lots within short walking distance from the airport. You can book your slot online in advance saving yourself a lot of hassle.
By International Train
The Hague has two major train stations that cater to both international and domestic trains. There is Den Haag Centraal (biggest station in the Netherlands) and Den Haag HS (Hollands Spoor). Nearby cities with strong rail connectivity to the Hague are Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Maastricht etc. On average, there are 4 to 6 trains running per hour between Hague and these cities. Sprinter trains stop at each station but intercity trains and International trains stop only at major ones.
If you are arriving from any other city in the Netherlands or a neighbouring country (Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg) then you will probably use the NS rail network (Nederlandse Spoorwagen). Additionally Thalys, Eurostar and SNCB trains also service the Hague. International connectivity from Hague to Paris, London, Brussels, Berlin, Cologne, Lille, Antwerp and Frankfurt is good.
By Long-Distance Bus
Buses to Hague depart from London Victoria station, Paris, Hamburg everyday day. International buses arrive at the city bus terminal in Den Haag Centraal Railway station. Other major bus stations are Den Haag bus platform Prins, Bernhard Viaduct and Den Haag-HTM Bus Station. If you are coming from within the Netherlands then most probably you will use Omnio (formerly Go Euro) and Arriva (largest regional bus operator).
Flixbus, BlaBla Bus, Eurolines Suisse operates bus services to Hague from major international cities like Paris, Cologne, Strasbourg, Arad, Lille, Dusseldorf, Bonn, Bucharest, Frankfurt besides Amsterdam
Book your Flixbus ticket online through their website.
You can also use an Umbrella website like Check My Bus to check the best bus connection between Hague and the other city of your choice.
In City Public Transport
The public transport system of Hague centres on trams, buses and RandstadRail light rail link services. Local Transport Company HTM and HTM Buzz operate many night buses while Arriva and Connexxion operate many bus and tram systems. There are 12 tram routes and 8 bus lines. The HTM network extends to Hague, Delft, Rijswijk, Voorburg, Leidschendam, Nootdorp, Zoetermeer and Wateringen
Trams
Tram route 1 runs from Delft to Scheveningen via the city centre (Centrum) and the Vredespaleis (Peace Palace)…this 20 km route covers many major attractions. Hague’s tram system connects Delft, Rijswijk, Wateringen, Voorburg and Leidschendam crossing municipal city borders. The Den Haag Central is also the biggest nodal point for HTM trams. Two island platforms with 4 tracks (tram lines 2, 3, 4, 6) lie above the rail tracks (upper tram station). There is a lower ground level tram station too that serves Lines 9, 15, 16, 17 etc.
You can get information on each tram route along with respective schedule through this HTM Website.
Buses
Holland Spoor and Centraal Station are major bus hubs.
On Saturday and Friday nights, HTMBuzz operates 6 night-bus services that meet at Buitenhof (city centre) every hour. Night bus tickets are more expensive and start from 5 euros each.
Randstad Rail
RET runs a Randstadrail (Metro Line E) between Hague (Den Haag Central station) and Rotterdam (Hofplein station). Now RandstadRail is Rotterdam-The Hague metropolitan area’s public transport company. The only stations you can stop at using Metro Line E are Laan van NOI, Voorburg, Forepark, Leidschenveen, Nootdorp, Pijnacker Centrum, Berkel Westpolder, Rodenrijs, Meijersplein etc as they fall between Haag Centraal and Rotterdam Centraal.
Combined Bus, Tram and RandstadRail Tickets
A one day ticket is called HTM Dagkaart and it is available from all HTM service points, Holland’s Spoor station and Central Station besides drivers on tram lines 2, 9, 11 and 17. 3-day Travelcards are available from Holland’s Spoor stations, Haag Centraal and Zoetermeer Centre West.
Reloadable smartcards or OV chipkaarts are available and they allow tourists to travel all through the Netherlands on the HTM network.
The HTM 2 Hour ticket offers 2 hours of free travelling through the Hague for 4 euros. There is the Day ticket, 3 Day ticket and Rotterdam-Hague Tourist Day Ticket.
For more details see the section on Transport Tickets & Passes below.
InterCity Rail
You can travel all around Hague, its adjoining cities and the whole of Holland/ Netherland comfortably by Rail.
It’s much better to buy NS rail tickets online… they come cheaper. Online tickets can be loaded in the NS App on your phone or you can print it out (e-ticket).
The Day Return Ticket is valid for 28 hours (midnight till 4 a.m. next morning) and you can get off wherever you want to on the route. A Day return ticket from Den Haag Central to Rotterdam Central will cost 10.40 euros (second class). The Single journey ticket will cost 5.20 euros.
If you have kids between ages 4 to 14 get Rail runner tickets for them; they come for 2.50 euro per child provided they are travelling with a ticket-holding adult. If you want to buy a Day Ticket (valid for the whole of Netherlands) you can buy it for 54 euros.
You can book your train tickets online through this website. Or else book tickets through NS app, ticket counters and third party agents.
Dutch Railways also provides an option of disembarking at the following popular stops though they don’t have a rail station; Burgers’ Zoo, Ijmuiden, Madurodam, Openlucht Museum Arnhem, Papendal, Arnhem, Beekse Bergen Safari Park, Scheveningen and Terneuzen.
Transport Tickets & Passes
In case you wish to travel extensively across Holland, you can buy the Holland Travel Ticket from the NS Ticket and Service Desk at train stations or an NS ticket machine. The off-peak ticket is priced at 41 euros and cannot be used during morning peak hours (6.30 a.m. to 9.00 a.m.).
If you want to travel during peak hours buy a full ticket that comes for 61 euros. This ticket allows the use of most of Holland’s public transport system (bus, tram and rail)… you can travel from Hague to Groningen, Utrecht, Maastricht etc. You can also visit villages like Volendam, Giethoorn without bothering to buy different bus and tram tickets. You can visit amusement parks around Hague like Maturodam, Drievliet, Avonturia De Vogelkelder, Duinrell Amusement Park, Tikibad etc.
The Hague Day ticket is good for those who wish to explore the in-city attractions. Priced at just 7.10 euros, HTM tickets allow travelling through Hague on HTM bus, night bus and tram at any time of choice. The Day Ticket is valid for 24 hours after the first check-in.
You can’t use the day ticket in Connexxion Arriva, EBS, train etc. Buy the Day Ticket from ticket vending machines, hotels, HTM Sales points etc. If you have a kid older than 4 (younger ones travel for free) then get a children’s day ticket… this is priced at just 1.50 euros. This is a paper chip card that can be discarded after use!
There is a 3-day version of the HTM ticket and it comes for 18 euros.
Given that Rotterdam and Hague are deeply connected, the Rotterdam- Hague Tourist Day Ticket (priced at 14.50 euros) may come in useful as it allows free travelling through the Zuid Holland region with ARRIVA, RET and HTM. Connexxion, HTMbuzz, and Waterbus. The Tourist Day Ticket is not valid on trains, Fast Ferry etc.
Get more information about Tourist Day Ticket here.
If you are in Hague for more than 7 days then buy the ov chipkart instead of the day ticket. The former lets you pay for actual travelled distance only and facilitates travel in credits. The ov chipkart is accepted by all carriers and the Dutch Railways national network. The ov Chipkart is priced from 8 euros to 59.95 euros depending upon the distance and duration of your travel plans.
You can check out the different public transport tickets for Hague including ov chipkart and purchase online through this website.
Taxi
Taxis are available throughout the city but their concentration is higher outside the airport, train stations and designated 50 taxi stands.
Some of the more popular taxi service operators are
- HCT City Taxi, Phone: +31 70 383 0830
- Hofstad Taxi, Phone: +31 70 346 2626
- TCH Taxi, Phone: +31 70 390 6262
The basic fare is €2.83 and the per kilometre charge is €2.08
Walk
Hague is flattish and compact and therefore perfect for a self-guided walking tour. You can cover the core city area and main attractions in 1 hour provided you don’t enter any of them. The Hague historic city centre has many landmarks like the Peace Palace, Tweede Kamer/ House of Parliament, International Courthouse, Royal House of Orange of Nassau.
You can start your walking tour in front of the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery and pass by historic sights like Binnenhof and Ridderzaal, Lange Voorhout Palace etc.
There is an excellent customised private walking tour with a local guide. You can book the tour through this Viator site.
Car Rental
Parking inside The Hague city is organised so driving around this compact walkable city is anyway recommended. A car rental service from the Rotterdam Hague Airport or Amsterdam Schiphol will offer a lot more choices.
You can also contact the following operators inside Hague City:
- Avis (phone: +31 88 284 7070)
- Europcar (phone: +31 703811 1811)
- Sixt (phone: +31 70 381 71 77)
Multi storeyed car parks are scattered around the city and there are many on-street metered parking spaces that can be paid for using cash or smartcard brought from the tourist office. You can also use your credit card to make payments.
The daily average car rental rate is 120 euros (economy vehicle).
Bike Hire
A nice compact city to cycle in, the Hague has dedicated cycling paths in all main streets and many bicycle lock-ups, bikes for hire centres, repair shops etc. The Hague is so small that you can easily cycle from one to the other in 20 minutes and yet it has 70 km of biking lanes and 370 km of bicycle path.
RandstadRail trams (line 2, 3, 4 and 19) have bike racks that bikers can use for free from Monday to Friday after 7 p.m. and all-time during weekends. Folding bikes are permitted on RandstadRail always. You cannot take along bikes (folding or normal ones) on the R net trams. Other buses and trams in Hague can accommodate only folding bicycles which can be kept in the special baggage compartment.
Outside of peak hours, bicycles can be taken along on trains if you buy a Bicycle Day Ticket (Dagkaart fiets). This ticket will allow biking and bike carriage all over the Netherlands and it allows racing bikes, e-bikes too. If you have a folding bicycle you can carry it free of charge.
Rent a Bike is one of the top bike rental companies in Hague. You need to call/ mail them specifying your height, accessories requirement, hotel address, and delivery timing. Payment can be made at the time of delivery of the bike to your desired location.
The daily rental price for a normal bike from Rent a Bike is 10 euros. If you rent for a week there is 10% reduction on the daily price and if you rent for a month then there is 40% reduction. They only accept cash and there is a 60 euro deposit (refunds are given).
They are open 7 days a week from 9am to 6pm (till 7:30pm on Saturdays).
Address: 59, Noordeinde, Den Haag, 2514 GC
Phone: 070-32 65 790
Rental email: [email protected]
You can easily bike to major city attractions like the Plein, Mauritshuis, Binnenhof, Ridderzaal, Gevangenpoort, Hofvjver and Jantje, Lange Voorhout, Museum Escher in het Paleis, Council of State, Noordeinde Palace, Panorama Mesdag, Gemeentemuseum etc. if you wish you can continue biking till the Scheveningen Harbour.
You can use Rent a road bike if you plan of going on biking day trips… this company operates all over Netherland, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Italy and Greece. They fit out road bikes (these are meant for conquering tough terrain) with special pedals and clips.
Fill up their form to book a bike. You can also walk in directly to their office or book via e mail.
Address: Polakweg, 2288 GE Rijswijk/Den Haag/The Hague
Phone: +31 (0) 619 649 666
Email: [email protected]
Rental fee for a hybrid bike per day is 70 euro and for 2 to 4 days it is 140 euros. The daily rental fee for a trekking bike is 90 euros.
If you rent a hybrid/ trekking bike you can easily conquer the Delft cycle route… a 40 km stretch that takes you from Delft to wetlands of Delftland-Midden regions. Or you can go on the 41 km Gouda Cycle route that lets you explore the “green heart” of Holland besides its cheese market and canals. Then there is the 43 km Kinderdijk cycle route that showcases 19 windmills and the lovely river Lek.
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.